How south-east Queensland could be new Silicon Valley

A CALL for a Silicon Valley-style rebrand of "southeast Queensland" - to create global impact - is seen as inevitable long-term but not while brand Gold Coast is so "powerful".

Respected demographer Bernard Salt yesterday made the case for coming up with a sexy new moniker for southeast Queensland and unifying its "fiefdoms" including the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba.

His thought-provoking keynote address at the sold-out Going for Gold legacy symposium sparked heated debate among the 400-plus attendees and tourism bosses.

Bernard Salt, managing director of the Demographics Group, delivers his keynote speach at the Going for Gold Commonwealth Games legacy symposium at the Marriott Resort Surfers Paradise. Pics Adam Head

Attendees included almost all city leaders, rubbing shoulders with Gold Coast Bulletin publisher News Corp's global CEO Robert Thomson who opened proceedings calling the Games a "profound opportunity".

Robert Thomson, Global Chief Executive Officer of Gold Coast Bulletin publisher News Corporation opened the Going for Gold Commonwealth Games Symposium at the Marriott Resort Surfers Paradise - the looming Commonwealth Games was a “profound opportunity” for the city, he said. Picture: Adam Head

Mr Salt, urging the region not to set its post-Games "bar low" and consider challenging for the 2032 Olympics, likened the Silicon Valley renaming of San Francisco Bay's famed IT start-up hub similar to South Shire becoming known as the Gold Coast.

"If you go to Silicon Valley you will never see a more bland example of suburbia but it has projected an electrifying image to the planet by rebranding," he said.

"If we keep with the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba with individual fiefdoms we will never get anything up," he said.